Since I have some left over chicken stock (see my previous post on making chicken soup HERE), I decided that the best use of it was making risotto. I looked in the vegetable drawer and I saw yellow onions, carrots and parsnip. Already sounded good. Arborio or Carnaroli are the most common risotto rices, but I had kept some special Vialone Nano in my pantry so I used that. It’s the best!

It turned out to be quite a nice dinner, all from pantry and fridge staples (candle-lit too!). I decided that to give the risotto an extra touch at the end I would make some carrot and parsnip oven baked chips (they also make an excellent healthy snack, so I made more).

Risotto is more of an art than a science, so I typically do not use set doses. However, to make your life simpler, here are approximate (and I mean approximate) amounts you will need. Also, the timing is also approximate. Humidity, climate, elevation, richness of the broth, size of the rice grains, strength of the fire and so on are all elements that will affect the cooking time and consistency of the broth. o, please use your judgment. And one last thing: do not overcook the rice. When you turn the stove off it still need to have a bite: It will keep cooking even off the stove.

Turn oven on at 400F. Slice the carrots and parsnips with the mandoline in fine chips. Reserve the less pretty ones (about 1/2 of the amount). Drizzle the chips with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and bake for about 15-20 minutes, then turned the oven off (and leave the chips in there to continue drying up).

Meanwhile, take the reserved uncooked carrot and parsnip chips, season with salt and pepper and caramelized those in a large heavy bottom pot with 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of water and a pinch of sugar for about 10 minutes and then set them aside. They actually would be delicious just as is, as a side course (discovered this by chance)!

At this point start heating the chicken broth in its pot until to the boiling point and turn it down to a simmer. In the same pot where we cooked the carrots and parsnips add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil then add the onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and toss to coat with onions and cook a few minutes until translucent. Add a half glass of white wine. Now, slowly start ladling in the broth, one ladle at a time, always stirring, so it will not stick,and allow the liquid to absorb.

Meanwhile, in a small ramekin add a few strands of saffron to melt with a few tablespoons of the hot broth and once it turns yellow add it to the rice.

The stirring and ladling is a careful and loving process that happens over about 20 to 25 minutes. At the very end, once the stove is turned off, you add a knob of butter and lots of grated parmesan (reserve a bit for serving). In Italy this is called “mantecare” (or cream with butter). I served topping with the oven-baked carrot and parsnip chips, and more grated parmesan.